American Masters is made possible by the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding for American Masters is provided by Rosalind P. Walter, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Rolf and Elizabeth Rosenthal, Cheryl and Philip Milstein Family, Jack Rudin, Vital Projects Fund, The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation, and public television viewers.

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Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Harper Lee: Hey, Boo

This To Kill a Mockingbird Teacher’s Guide supports standards-based instruction for middle and high school grades and is divided into three main sections. The first, "Guided Reading Questions," will help students with reading comprehension and appreciation. The second section, "Writing and Discussion Prompts," consists of analytical writing and discussion prompts. The third section, "Research Topics," requires students to conduct and synthesize significant outside research on topics related to the novel.

This video from American Masters: Harper Lee: Hey, Boo highlights Scout, one of the most beloved characters in all of American fiction and the main character of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In the video, students learn what makes Scout unique as well as what makes her a “typical American character.”

In this video from American Masters: Harper Lee: Hey, Boo, learn about the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Harper Lee’s hometown and the inspiration for the fictional town of Maycomb, the setting for To Kill a Mockingbird. Through archival interviews, photographs, and present-day commentary (including an excerpt from an interview with Harper Lee), students will learn what life was like for people living in the South during the Great Depression.

This video from American Masters: Harper Lee: Hey, Boo describes what life was like for those who challenged the system of segregation in the South in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Highlighting observations from cultural and literary icons as well as average American citizens, this video features important commentary that addresses the issues presented in To Kill a Mockingbird and how the public reacted to the novel when it was first published in 1960.

This video from American Masters: Harper Lee: Hey, Boo highlights the social climate in the South when To Kill a Mockingbird was first published and a few years later, when the film premiered. The video highlights the reactions to the issues presented in the story. The account by Diane McWhorter, a classmate of Mary Badham (the actress who played Scout in the movie), is given special attention.

Grades: 8-11

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